Among activated immune cells in RA, macrophages, which produce TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β (Zheng et al., 2014; Clavel et al., 2016) and tissue-degrading enzymes in the inflammatory infiltrate synovial sublining and at the pannus-cartilage interface (Davignon et al., 2013; Yeo et al., 2016), are central players in the pathogenesis (Szekanecz and Koch, 2007) and are an ideal target for the treatment of RA (Davignon et al., 2013). This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and rheumatoid arthritis.